


A Gift for My Heart

by SweetVenom



Series: The Mighty Fall [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dragon Age Quest: Tough Love, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Necklace of the Kadan, Porn With Plot, just a little, there's not actually that much porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 18:50:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8338786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetVenom/pseuds/SweetVenom
Summary: Evelyn has something she wants to give to The Iron Bull. But he has something to give her first.





	

Evelyn stared at the dragon tooth in her hand. She sat at the crafting table, turning the tooth over in her hand, questions running through her head as she doubted herself. She leaned back and stretched, finding the roar of the waterfall soothing. It must have been nearly midnight when she gave up on sleep and decided to wander into the undercroft. She had come to love spending time learning various smithing techniques with cheerful Dagna and grumpy Harrit. Tonight, though, she was hoping it was empty so she could tinker with a dagger she had been working for a few days. She was both relieved and anxious that the Smith and the Arcanist were out for the night. Relieved because she wasn't sure she could stand any conversation, but anxious because she would be alone with her thoughts.

She had been rummaging though the compartments in the chest where the smaller crafting materials were kept, and she came across the teeth of the dragon they had killed in the Hinterlands. There were many different sizes, and she had picked up a smaller one, examining the dark bone. She thought back to the partially-drunken story The Iron Bull had told her after they slain the creature. An old Tamassran fairy tale about two Antaam warriors who defended a village from a dragon. They triumphed and skinned the beast, making fine armor pieces with the scales, weapons from the horns, claws and large teeth. But when they were pulling the teeth, they noticed the inner layer of teeth were too small for anything practical. So they broke one of the teeth in half and each kept a piece, wearing it around their necks.  A dragon tooth, split in two, he had said. So no matter how far apart life takes them, they'll always be together. The details were a little fuzzy since she had been drinking the strongest, most disgusting alcohol, but the story remained seared in her mind.

She ran a fingernail along the tooth, marveling at the smooth texture. She remembered the teeth as the Ferelden Frostback snapped at her, just before she stabbed a dagger into its eye and Iron Bull thrust his great sword into the underflesh of its jaw while shouting “ _Taarsidath-an halsaam!_ ” It was one of her fondest and most exhilarating memories with him (well, outside her room, anyway).  His laughter was like the dragon's roar itself and she felt like she could win, truly, win against Corypheus,  like she could heal the rips in the veil, like she could save the whole fucking world. “ _Taarsidath-an halsaam_ ”. At the time, she didn't know it's meaning, but when he'd told her, she had hoped that he'd also be thinking about her when he brought himself sexual pleasure.

“Inquisitor! You're up pretty late!”

Evelyn jumped at the chipper sound of Dagna's voice. “Maker! You scared me!”

“Oops! Sorry!” Dagna giggled. “I mean, I wasn't exactly quiet coming in! You must be really focused there! Whatchya lookin at?”

“Nothing!” she lied, not sure why she felt like she had to hide what she was doing. “I couldn't sleep. I just thought I'd do something useful instead of staring at my bed canopy”.

“Oooh, me too! Except my bed doesn't have a canopy. But there is a really pretty tapastry on my wall! Got some real pretty Andrastian stuff on it! 'Course, I don't understand all that stuff, Andraste, I mean. I read the whole Chant when I studied at the circles, but it's pretty crazy, right? Oh! I mean, oops, sorry. I probably shouldn't be all ‘heretical’ around you of all people!”

Evelyn laughed at Dagna's ramblings. She was suddenly grateful for Dagna's intrusion. She could use a good laugh to  get her mind off her trepidations regarding The Iron Bull.

“Sooo. What exactly are you doing?”

“Dagna, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure! Well, probably. If I can do it, I will! I mean, assuming it's not something awful and evil. But I don't think you would ask me to do something evil, so sure!”

“Can you saw a dragon's tooth in half and make something out of it? Like, a necklace?”

“Oooh that sounds like fun! Sure, I think I can manage that! I'll need to get my little saw…”

Dagna rummaged through her tools and began to work.

***

The next day, she entered the tavern, the two necklaces weighing heavy in the satchel on her waist. She found The Iron Bull almost immediately (he wasn't easy to miss, huge and horned). Surprisingly, she caught him alone. He sat in a chair against the wall, all alone, tankard in one hand, chin resting thoughtfully on the other. It was strange- he sometimes sat alone when the Chargers were out on Inquisition business, but the were in Skyhold, as far as she knew, having just seen them earlier.

“Hey Boss, how's it going?” he asked casually as she approached. She felt a nervousness rising in her throat, suddenly worried she had misheard, or misunderstood, or misremembered the story. Her thoughts raced to every possible outcome, but naturally she anxiously remained on the thought that he would reject the gift, or worse, laugh at her as though the whole thing was a joke. She felt strongly about him, the word _love_ had entered her mind more times than she could count, but she just couldn't tell if he felt anything for her beyond friendship.

“Ahem, there was something… Something I wanted to show you, if you have some free time..” she stuttered out.

He looked at her in a way she wasnt sure she had seen before. There was some kind of conflict going on in his mind. He bit his lip and narrowed his eye slightly, before returning to his easy-going, casual expression he had trained himself to project at all times. “Sure, and I actually had something I wanted to show you. Up in my room”. She raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes slightly before smirking. “Hey, not like that!” he laughed. “Well, probably not. Lets not rule anything out”. She laughed as he grinned at her. “But anyway, I'll go first”.

She followed him up the stairs and entered the room in which he slept. She scarcely could call it _his_  room, because he'd made minimal efforts to make it an actual living space. He had at least taken out the broken pieces of lumber that had been strewn across the room , and he had a decent dresser for his clothes. But there was still rubble in the corners and the fireplace hadn't been used since he'd claimed the sleeping space. Truly, all he did was sleep and dress here. She supposed that was all he was used to- so many years in the military, always being moved from assignment to assignment, then traveling as a mercenary and being on the road almost constantly; he had likely learned to detach himself from ideas like home, or a permanent space that was his own for leisurely use.

“C'mere,” he said, snapping her out of her thoughts. He was bent down by his bed, pulling something out from under it and setting it on top. It was a chest, and it looked nice at that. It wasn't especially large, or deep, maybe only a foot and a half wide. She made her way to his side, wondering what was inside. “I, uh...” The Iron Bull seemed at a loss for words, a rare sight indeed. “Well, this might seem kind of strange, since its kind of out of the blue, but I kind of had something made for you…”

She looked at him, puzzled, wondering what he could possibly mean. She tried to diffuse his obvious nervousness by teasing a bit. “Had something made? If _you're_  embarrassed by it, Maker only knows what it might be”.

He laughed heartily, “No, no, nothing like that, its just… Well, just open it”.

She did as she was told, sliding her finger along the smooth dark wood and finding the brass latch that kept it closed. She pulled it open and looked inside.

It was... Clothing? Highever weave, a lucious dark red, her favorite because she loved the way it matched her hair. She gently lifted the folded cloths and tried to make sense of it. It was a long band of cloth, similar to a breast band, but with a beautiful stitched pattern framing the hem, and an intricate weave of braided cords, making what looked to be a collar and sleeves. Folded neatly under that was a pair of pants, in a soft, cream cotton, with a highever weave sash hanging down at the waist.

“Its, uh, some clothes”. He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She laughed softly, “Yes, I managed to discern that much. It's beautiful, but I've never seen anything like it”.

“Yeah, it's, uh, a Qunari style. Pretty popular back home. I know you like reds, so I had it made like that ”. He shifted his weight off his bad foot. “I don't know… I just thought…”

She held the garment up to her chest, looking down with a smile. “Lock the doors? I want to try it on”.

The Iron Bull locked the three doors to his room- guards occasionally took shortcuts through the room as they patrolled the ramparts, though it was well known that Bull sometimes _entertained_  guests in his room, it was usually at night. In any case, the locked doors would suffice.

Once the last lock clicked, she removed her clothes.  She easily slid on the pants and fastened the sash, but looked quizzically at the top.

“Here, let me”. The Iron Bull came to her side and showed her some well concealed stays in the the back of the of the collar to open the cords, and helped her put it in place around her neck. As she slid her arms into the latticed sleeves, he crossed and wrapped the band around her front, securing her breasts in place and tied the fabric in the back. She noted that there was nothing sexual about the way he touched her as he helped her dress, even as he ran the back of his hand softly down her back. It gave her chills.

“Well, how do I look?” she turned around and shyly modeled the outfit.

“Beautiful,” he replied simply. There wasn't a hint of lewdness as he looked upon her.

It was intimate in a way she was unused to. She suddenly felt the need to lighten the mood. “So… this is… what? For roleplaying? Am I supposed to be the Tamassran that _pops your cork_?” she smirked at him and he chuckled.

“Well. That's certainly one possible use for it,” he stepped closer to her and put a hand on each her shoulders. “I, uh... Fuck, it sounds so unlikely when I say it out loud, but I was just thinking. When all this is over, if we defeat Corypheus, seal that breech, save the world, blah blah. Well, I might want to request my superiors grant me a short leave to go back home. To Qunandar”. Evelyn listened intently, heart sinking at the thought of him leaving. “And, uh. You know, the Hero of Ferelden visited Par Vollen after the Blight, just for a couple of weeks. I figured, maybe you'd like to see it too. You seal the Breech, they'd welcome you as Basalit-an, just like her”.

She was floored by the offer. What he was asking- to see his homeland, experience his culture; Maker, the thought made her heart soar with happiness. “Are… Are you serious?”

“Yeah. You know. I just thought, you have always been curious and accepting of the Qun-though, in retrospect, maybe that was just so I'd let you ride my dick,” she laughed at his rogueish smile. “But yeah, maybe you'd like to see where I grew up, taste the local food… Maybe even take you to meet my old Tama”. His head was down but he looked up at her from under his brow. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Maybe, just maybe, he felt something for her, beyond sex, beyond friendship, beyond obligation.

“Yeah, so i thought maybe, in the very very unlikely event that we both live through this whole saving the world shit, and I get permission to take leave to visit home, and you manage to, I don't know, retire or take a break from this Inquisitor business, and you uh, actually wanted to go with me,” he scratched his neck, looking uncomfortable. “Well. Then you'd have something to wear, to uh, fit in”.

Evelyn lost herself for a moment. She pulled his face down and crushed her lips against his. He melted into the kiss and wrapped his hands around her hips. “Bull,” she said breathlessly as she pulled away for a moment. " _The Iron Bull_ , I would love to travel with you. Anywhere. But _especially_ your home". He smiled and pulled her back for a kiss. It became heated quickly, and before she even knew what she was doing, her hands were on his belt, frantically undoing the buckle. He laughed into her mouth and pulled back.

“Really? We just got you into that”.

“Well, now you're going to help me out of it!” she giggled, and he quickly obliged, undoing all his careful work from just a few minutes before.

They didn't even bother with the bed. As soon as they both undressed, she was lifted up, his hands under her ass. He planted her on the dresser, hanging over the edge enough to drop to his knees and taste her juices. She leaned back and moaned, arousal building quickly. She moaned in approval, and started begging, “Please, please, please…” though she wasn't even sure what she was begging for. He gave her a slow, long lick up her slit, and suddenly stood, entering her roughly and abruptly. She cried out, agony and pleasure winding together in her core.

“Beg for it,” he growled. “Beg. I love it when you beg”.

“Please, Bull, fuck me, fuck me harder!” she cried out, though she tried her best to keep her voice quiet. He obliged, slamming into her so hard she dug her nails into his back, knowing she'd drawn blood. “Yesss…” she hissed.

Suddenly, a voice called in from the other side of the northern door. “Inquisitor, are you there? A guard said he saw you come up through the Tavern”. Before she or Bull could react, the door swung open and Cullen, _Cullen, of all people_ , walked through the door, face buried in a report.  He spoke without looking up, “I needed to discuss our fortifications-oh sweet Maker!” As soon as he looked up, he pulled the stack of papers back up to shield his eyes.

“Hey Cullen. How's it goin'?” Bull said smoothly as he looked over his shoulder, keeping Evelyn's body concealed as best he could from the angle they were facing. Evelyn was mortified, and covered her face with one hand, and her exposed side with the other.

Josephine's voice drifted in from the ramparts. “Cullen, did you find her? I wanted to ask her-Oh my!” Josephine entered the room and froze in place, slack jawed.

“I am so sorry,” Cullen said pitifully, looking away.

“I cannot move my legs," Josephine said, not looking away even a little.

Bull grabbed Evelyn's arms and covered her breasts with them before leaning to his side, gabbing a sheet from his bed next to them. Evelyn gratefully accepted it and covered herself with it. Bull pulled away, completely nude, half erect cock on display when Cassandra walked in behind the other two. “Is something the matt-Augh!” she caught sight of every part of Bull and a mortified Evelyn covered only by a sheet.

“Oh for fuck's sake!” Bull groaned and leaned his head back as he sat-still nude- on the side of his bed.

Cassandra looked half confused, half disgusted. “I apologize for interrupting what _I_ _assume_  was a momentary diversion?” Her voice was irritated and Evelyn felt like she was being scolded.

Evelyn felt tongue tied, unable to verbalize a response. Bull interjected. “Yeah, well, you know. Everyone wants to ride the Bull once,” that got a disgusted noise from Cassandra's throat. “Just needed to sate her curiosity. Won't happen again”.

“Right. Nothing wrong with a bit of fun”. Cullen said with a snicker.

“Who wouldn't be a _little_ curious?” Josephine spoke with her eyes squarely on the Iron Bull's crotch.

Evelyn looked at The Iron Bull's face. She'd begun to learn it better, being around him more, and though he looked good natured and calm, she saw a flash of something in his expression for a moment. Sadness? Disappointment?  No. Resignation. He was resigned to being a secret. An illicit affair. A thing kept locked out of sight out of shame. Her heart dropped at the thought.

“You should have locked the door”. Cassandra scowled.

“I did, actually. It was working fine yesterday. I'll need to figure out what's wrong with it. In any case, this won't happen again. Just a quick little fling”. The Iron Bull leaned back, unashamed of his nakedness.

Evelyn looked at the palm of her left hand, the mark calm but ever present. _This fucking thing_. she thought with sudden anger. It forced her into this role, this impossible position where she was expected to be a fearless leader, a shrewd politician, a fucking flawless prophet. And she'd done it all. She'd ended the Mage rebellion, healed the veil, led the people to Skyhold, closed more rifts and killed more demons she could count, and saved countless lives every step of the way. This mark had consumed almost every part of her life, but not this. She would not push The Iron Bull, _Her Iron Bull_ , out the back door as though she were ashamed of him. The anchor, _she,_  would not hurt him like that. He deserved better.

“Well. As long as it was just a one time thing, I suppose we can-”

“Actually,” Evelyn hopped off the dresser, clutching the sheet tightly around herself. “This was not a momentary diversion. This has been going on for quite some time”. Her cheeks were burning from embarrassment, but she met their eyes (well, not Cullen's, as he had nearly turned his body completely around). “And Bull and I intend to continue”. She looked to Bull to see actual surprise on his face. She turned back to the others. “Is that a problem?” she asked curtly.

“No! Not at all!” Cullen said, obviously trying to conclude the entire awkward conversation.

“It's a surprise. I'll admit,” Cassandra looked confused. “But a problem? I am not sure. I suppose that's for Josephine to handle”.

Josephine was barely listening to Cassandra. “I, ahem, I do not foresee it being a problem, we shall discuss that at a later time, I think”.

“Right. Well, enjoy your afternoon!” Cullen called as he was already walking away. Cassandra's brows furrowed as she followed followed Cullen.

“Yes, do enjoy yourselves,” Josephine followed them, but her eyes lingered until she had pulled the door completely shut behind her.

When all was quite for a moment, Bull spoke up. "I swear I locked that door".

Evelyn wordlessly walked over and knelt at the door's latch, turning it and listening to the tumblers. “It's broken. Like someone picked it and snapped a tumbler”.

“Shit, who the fuck-Oh. I know. Sera”.

"What?”

“Yeah, I may have played a tiny little prank on her and I knew she'd be looking for payback and-” he looked around the room, and his eye darted to the dresser. He opened the bottom drawer and sighed. “Yup. Sera. There's a snake in here” he closed it quickly and shook his head. He looked around and walked toward the door, grabbing a piece of stone rubble that remained on the floor and propped it next to her against the door. “Well. That ought to slow people for the time being”.

Evelyn sank down to the ground with her back up against the door and started laughing. Just pure, good, laughter, no hysterics.

He looked at her and smiled gently “Are you ok?” he asked earnestly after taking a seat back on his bed.

“You know, I believe I am. Though I think we may have blinded poor Cullen”. She felt a slight weight lift off her shoulders.

“So, um. You sort of. Told them?” He seemed confused and concerned at once. “I was handling it, you know, we could have kept this a secret. I mean, that's what we agreed was best, right?”

“I can't anymore,” she answered candidly. “Its too much. I mean, its not as though I want all of Thedas or every Inquisition recruit knowing my personal life, but I won't be ashamed of you. Not in front of my advisors, or our friends”.

The Iron Bull seemed speechless, which was rare.

“Lets continue to be discreet,” she continued. "My life is already the subject of scrutiny and gossip, and I need some shred of privacy. And I don't want to make it difficult for Leliana and Josephine to handle my and the Inquisition's reputation. But I'm done pretending around the people closest to us who will understand”.

The Iron Bull looked thoughtful, pondering her words. There was something that flashed across his face-relief? “Ok”. He responded simply.

She stood and walked toward him. Her clothes were discarded on the floor, both her normal attire and the beautiful, meaningful clothing Bull had given her. She dropped down at his feet and reached aside to pick up the satchel holding the dragon tooth. Her heart pounded, but she felt a strange sort of confidence, dropping the sheet and sitting bare before him.

“I told you I had something to show you”. She pulled out the matching necklaces, holding them before him.

“Evelyn… what is..?” he trailed off.

“A dragon's tooth. Split in two. From the Ferelden Frostback, the first dragon we killed together. One piece for you, one for me. So no matter how far apart life takes us, we'll always be together,” she quoted back his words from that night of celebration when they had slain the creature.

He stared blankly at the the necklaces, completely silent.

Her heart pounded in her ears. Why wasn't he saying something, anything? “Did… Did I get it wrong?” she asked softly.

“ _No_ , you got it perfect,” he said firmly, averting his eye, looking off to the side. His brow was raised, giving him a look of vulnerability, something she had never seen before on his face. “It's just… It's not often that people surprise me,” The Iron Bull paused took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, “ _Kadan_ ”.

“Kadan?” she stared back, full of uncertainty, longing, and hope.

“ _Kadan_ ,” he repeated. “My Heart”.

“ _Kadan_ ,” she echoed. He took her hand that held the necklaces and pressed it to his chest.

She rose up as high as her kneeling legs would let her and he met her for a kiss. "May I?" She asked, as she held up the necklace with the longer leather strap. He nodded and she stood, taking the fasten apart and wrapping it around his thickly muscled neck, securely clasping the stay that Dagna had assured  her strong enough for battle. Bull mirrored the motion. Securing the other half around his Kadan's neck.

They sat still for a moment, comfortable silence filling the room. Evelyn broke the silence, and the mood, by stating, “Now, I really think we should let that snake go. And that's not an innuendo”. She smirked at him and he laughed.

“Yeah. That's OK, I'll just let Sera come up and get it.

“Nonsense!” she proclaimed. "We can't just leave him alone here". She eyed Her Iron Bull suspiciously. “Wait, you're not afraid of snakes, are you?”

“ _Afraid_ is a strong word. But, let's just say I'm not a fan…”

Evelyn began dressing as she chuckled at him. “Well I'm not. I'll get him out of here for you”. He stood and started gathering his gift to her, folding it and placing it in the chest.

“Are you saying… you know how to handle a snake?” he flashed her a grin and she laughed, but didn't bother responding. He half dressed, pulling in his pants, and when she was fully clothed and presentable, she went into his arms, looking up at him. She felt serene, the embarrassment fading a bit. “I'll take this up to you're room, later, Kadan. If you'll have me tonight”.

“Yes, I think we have some unfinished business…” she laughed with him as he pressed his half hard cock against her waist.

“ _Kadan_ ”. He said. Not to her, really, just aloud, like he was trying to wrap his own mind around this revelation.

She stood on her toes and kissed him. The _I love yous_  that had been circling her mind were there, but didn't threaten to escape her mouth. _My Heart_ seemed a testament to his connection to her, even if the feelings were maybe not exactly the same as hers.

But for now, it was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> While this scene in the game is by far the funniest, it never sat well with me for a number of reasons (sex in and unlocked room with three doors easily accessible by practically anyone on the ramparts? A dragon tooth, split in two, how feasible is that for your average Qunari?). So I hope this alters canon enough to make it believable. inspiration drawn from AutopsyTurvy's "Fire is Her Water", where the dragon tooth thing is just an old Tamassran story. And hopefully you recognize the clothing as the Antaam-saar, which is, in my opinion, the best looking armor in the game, but totally impractical for actual armor use.


End file.
